Scottie Barnes named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Scottie Barnes (All Pro Reels, Wikimedia Commons)

Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes of West Palm Beach, Florida, has been named the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week. In three games from January 20-26, Barnes averaged 22 points, 9.7 rebounds, six assists, 1.7 steals and one block.

However, more importantly, the Raptors won all three games. On January 21, Barnes had 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in an impressive 109-93 comeback win over the Orlando Magic. That was followed by 25 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 122-119 Raptors win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 23, and 24 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in a 117-94 win over the Hawks on January 25. In addition to the two double-doubles, Barnes was also a +58 in the three games.

Toronto then won a fourth straight game on Monday night as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 113-104. Barnes had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

In 2024-25, Barnes is averaging 20.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 6.6 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game. He also has a field goal percentage of .457, free throw percentage of .757, and three point percentage of .272. There is no doubt Barnes has been the Raptors’s best player this season, but his free throw percentage and three point percentage are still low to be considered an “elite player in the league” as what Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic described Barnes last season. The Raptors next play in Washington on Wednesday.

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